Plan Your Visit

Where Imagination Comes Alive . . . While Planning a Memorable Day!

A trip to the Seattle Children’s Museum guarantees an interactive experience, allowing little hands and growing minds to explore, play and learn. With 22,000 square feet of exhibits, children 10 months to 10 years old and their families can learn and explore together. The following are a few tips to ensure you have a successful visit with us.

First Things First:

Purchase your tickets at our Box Office or online before you enter. If you have a great time, you always have the option to apply your daily admission to a membership on your way out!

As you enter the Museum, you will be given the option to receive a hand stamp. This hand stamp will grant you re-entry to the Museum throughout the remainder of the day.

Stroller parking and coat hooks are available in our Sound Transit Station exhibit so that you have free hands to play and learn alongside your child.

Don’t miss the Imagination Studio! When you arrive at the Museum, pick up a time-ticket for each person in your group for any available time slot (the tickets are free!). Be sure to allow your child’s painting, clay sculpture or other creation a chance to dry while you finish exploring the rest of the Museum.

Safety Policies:

For the safety and enjoyment of all, we require that groups have at least 1 adult for every 4 children. School or daycare groups who complete an orientation receive a reduced rate and may be considered for higher ratios.

To prevent bump and burn situations, we require that all hot beverages be in a secure, screw-top travel mug. (You should be able to drop the mug and the lid will stay on!)

Admission to the Museum does include in and out privileges, and we ask that you go in and out as a group. Children and adults must enter our space together and stick together. For the safety of our youngest visitors, we do not allow adults to enter (or re-enter) without a child.

We do not allow latex balloons inside the Museum because popped latex is a choking hazard for little ones.

We are a tobacco free, drug free, and firearm free environment.

Safe Space Policy:

It is our responsibility to foster a culture of inclusion that promotes mutual respect, celebrates diversity, and facilitates authentic intercultural exploration and collaboration. We commit to making our facilities and programs accessible and safe for all members of our community, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, and range of abilities.

The museum reserves the right to refuse service to, or revoke access from any patron(s) threatening this safe, inclusive environment. Behavior warranting such consequences includes, but is not limited to, verbal or physical harassment of another patron or staff member, attempted theft or vandalism, or being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Seattle Children’s Museum holds its mission values above all else and will pursue all avenues necessary to ensure the provision of a healthy, safe place for all children and their caregivers to learn and explore.

Age Specific Activities:

Our enthusiastic educators lead a handful of programs each day, from exhibit plays to story times. Each of these programs are geared toward a different age group and free with the cost of admission. Take a look at our calendar here.

Discovery Bay Hang Outs are educator facilitated drop-in play sessions for children 3 and under every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30am – 11:00am.

Seattle Center:

There are a number of food and dining options right upstairs from the Museum in the Seattle Center Armory. Take advantage of the kid-sized seating provided or picnic next to the International Fountain right outside our doors.

Include the Seattle Monorail in your plans! Your children will enjoy the ride and you won’t have to think about parking. The Monorail disembarks just a few steps away from the Museum.

Be aware that the Seattle Center is a busy place with a handful of busy events and festivals. Take a look at their calendar to know what to expect on campus on the day of your visit.

Plan your trip! With routes and exits changing periodically, see the SDOT website here to see if any of it will affect your visit!

In This Section

Our Mission

Our Mission is to bring to life the joy of discovery for children and their families through fun, creative, hands-on exploration of the world around them. We strive to ignite curiosity and encourage them to become active, life-long learners.

Our Space

Over 22,000 sq feet of play space designed for kids 10 months to 10 years to enjoy with their families. There are a number of hands-on exhibits for kiddos to explore, and daily educational programs or activities that are FREE with the cost of admission.

Our Values

We value the family as a child’s first teacher. We value informal learning environments , with open-ended exploration. For these reasons we create an asset-rich environment supported by the structure of The 40 Assets ™, to gain proven results in the development of children.